Don’t Be Putin’s Puppet

A Ukrainian activist in exile warns President Trump about the “modern Russian czar.”

President Trump, you are meeting the most dangerous man on our planet: Russia’s bloody dictator, Vladimir Putin. Don’t be wowed by his toxic shirtless masculinity or his judo skills. He’s a silent killer and a former K.G.B. officer who has raped his own country for profit and silenced those who oppose him. Yes, he’s small and unassuming, but he’s much more sly than you. I’m a founding member of the Ukrainian feminist group Femen. We are a union of women who are ready to protest topless for their rights. There are dozens of our activists who are protesting against Putin everywhere in the world now. And we are not scared to take him on because we want to protect women. We want to protect the world from this monster. I’m the one who screamed in his face, “[Expletive] you, dictator,” when he met with world leaders in 2013. I know that millions of Russians, Ukrainians and Syrians are dreaming of telling him the same thing. After our protest, Putin’s security goons at the F.S.B. attacked me and my comrades. They surveilled us. They beat us. I’ve been arrested more than 50 times. I’ve been kidnapped by Russia’s Secret Service. They use their massive influence on Ukrainian judiciary to get us thrown in prison. They even had Ukrainian police charge us with terrorism. I managed to survive and escape and now I’m alive and free, but living in exile. I know you don’t care about Putin’s bloody regime in Russia. You don’t care about political prisoners or political murders in Russia. You don’t care about women’s rights to stay safe and free from domestic violence. You don’t care about the L.G.B.T. community and their lives. You don’t care about Putin’s toxic influence on the leaders of other countries, like in Syria, where he’s propping up a brutal dictator. You don’t care about my country, Ukraine, where in 2014 Putin’s army invaded and launched a now forgotten civil war that is still ravaging the lives of thousands of people who are simply trying to protect their own land. You don’t care about Crimea, which was annexed by Putin and will always be a part of Ukraine no matter what he says or does. But I see you do care about wielding your own power. I’m warning you: don’t be just another puppet of this modern Russian tsar. Try another way to leave a historical legacy if you dare. Try to fight Putin with your strong position with political and economic sanctions. Save us from Putin and we will see who really runs the world.

A Ukrainian activist in exile warns President Trump about the “modern Russian czar.”

Opinion Video features innovative video journalism commentary — argued essays, Op-Ed videos, documentaries, and fact-based explanation of current affairs. The videos are produced by both outside video makers and The Times’s Opinion Video team.

Opinion Video features innovative video journalism commentary — argued essays, Op-Ed videos, documentaries, and fact-based explanation of current affairs. The videos are produced by both outside video makers and The Times’s Opinion Video team.